Homebrew Bladeback Species Details

Note: This was created to match the racial changes and balances of Monsters of the Multiverse. This does contain features that are different than the saurial race from 2nd Edition.

This bipedal lizard looks taller and stockier than a human; in fact, it’s built much like a half-orc. A line of sharp scales runs down its spine from its head to the tip of its tail, which is about as long as its body.

Bladebacks are the most straightforward and trusting of the saurial subraces. Highly social, they mix well with all kinds of saurials, and even with creatures from outside the Lost Vale. Slow to anger, bladebacks work hard to understand the motives of others, but they are passionate once they have been pushed to the point of aggression. Bladebacks often become village leaders or advisors to those in power. Like most saurials, bladeback adventurers are usually motivated by curiosity about the world around them. However, their trusting and open nature sometimes gets them into trouble that they can escape only through the use of force

Creating Your Character

At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race tells you what your character’s creature type is.

Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Life Span

The typical life span of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s description.

Height and Weight

Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Bladeback Traits

As a bladeback, you have the following racial traits.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

You are Medium.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Natural Learner

Thanks to your ability to learn, you gain proficiency with two tools or skills of your choice.

Spiked Tail

You have a spiked tail that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with it, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier piercing damage.

Protected Hearing

You have resistance to thunder damage and advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the deaf condition on yourself.

Armored Tank

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your base AC is 14 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.